This beautiful book cover definitely caught my eye. The author had a note at the front of the book describing it as an "historical western rom-com." I was really intrigued! This was a great description of the book and it did not disappoint.

Gray Woodson is a grumpy, retired gunslinger who agrees to pose as the fake fiance of Mercy Douglas who needs help keeping a local land owner from making trouble. This story had great banter and steam. I so enjoyed watching Gray and Mercy fall in love. The book is also about finding a place to call home. The secondary characters are well drawn and a great edition to the story. And the epilogue the perfect finishing touch.

I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to the publisher for my e copy of this book.

I loved this story! Poor Quick Shot Gray Woodson just wants to retire his guns, kick his feet up and sleep on the front porch. Mercy Douglas needs a fake fiance to scare off the man trying to steal her ranch out from under her after her father dies. Seems like a match made in heaven ... or not. Prepare to laugh and be charmed by all the colorful side characters and Gray's ironic sense of humor. Mercy might have been a bit difficult to like all the time, but all in all, it was a cute and entertaining story. For those who love funny, witty, historical westerns, this is definitely a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for a copy of this book for review. These are entirely my own opinions.

Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michele McLean is my first book to read by her. It was a fun read and just what I needed to escape a stressful week at work.
Gray is a retired gunslinger who just wants to be left alone. He runs into Mercy as he is arriving into a new town; Desolation.

Mercy has an unwanted admirer and asks Gray to help protect her. He assumes his presence will do most of the work. It was fun how the town accepted him and he gets involved; reluctantly.

I enjoyed both of their characters and their quirkiness. The secondary characters were a great addition and added another level of humor and quirkiness.

If you are looking for a fun light steamy read to escape into, I would recommend it.

Language. Several uses of profanity.
Sexual content - no physical scenes until they are married. References to the house of ill repute in town
Violence - shootouts, nothing disturbing
Drinking – If I remember correctly he specifically didn’t drink so that he was alert for a shootout.

I received this book from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
You can see my full review at More Than a Review dot com where I rate the level of sex, violence, language and drug/alcohol use in books.

This is the first book I've read by this author and it has so many of the elements I love - great humor, grump and reluctant hero, feisty and independent heroine, small town, quirky animals, and so much more. From the start you can't help but root for Gray. While he doesn't want to get involved in other people's business, he isn't about to let a woman be strong armed by a bunch of men. Even though he tries to rationalize that he had no choice because his horse had walked toward her. Thus began the relationship between Gray and Mercy. I just couldn't get enough of this story and was sad to see it end. Hopefully there will be more books to come with the other interesting townsfolk.

This book was a lot of fun to read. Gray is a retired gunslinger looking for a place to settle where no one knows him. Mercy lives just outside the town of Desolation trying to hold on to her land that Josiah, her neighbor, is trying to get her to sell or marry him so he can have it. I enjoyed that these weren’t your typical leads of a romance novel & watching it play out throughout the book was incredible. I also enjoyed the townspeople. Highly recommend reading this one! It’s hard to put down.

I really enjoyed this story. Gray was the perfect grumpy hero. There was just enough steam to be enjoyable without going overboard. I loved how the town came together for Grey. I do wonder if this will be a series? I feel like there could be more backstory /secrets from the townspeople.

I’ve read a couple of Western historical romance books before, mainly on mail order brides. This one is very different and I really liked it! The author is new to me, but I loved her writing and in particular her very graphic descriptions. It was like watching one of those old Western movies, Sergio Leone’s style! But much less dark, because this book is full of humor and it has quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. I particularly enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and I appreciated the side characters, who are well developed and quite interesting.
Gray is a great hero, laid-back and cool. He’s a famous gunslinger, but he wants to retire and it’s really funny to follow him in his failed attempts at finding peace and quiet while everyone wants to involve him in their business. Mercy is a great woman who’s not afraid to stand for her rights. And of course their love story is quite passionate and engaging… with good steamy scenes and a wonderful alchemy between the characters! Definitely worth reading.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hitched to the Gunslinger by Michelle McLean

Not your usual historical old west romance, nope, this one has a tired wannabe retired gunslinger hero, a not so sweet very verbal heroine, and a small town more accepting than most…oh…and a bad guy to thwart. Romance is definitely in the air, but it comes in a rather unexpected way.

What I liked:
* Gray: a survivor, grumpy, sleepy, over forty, fast with a gun, orphaned early in life, looking for a place to retire, stumbles into an orchard near a town called Desperation…and…his life changed.
* Mercy: tenacious, independent, hard worker, has built her orchard and farm on her own, sassy, no longer a spring chicken, owns the orchard Gray stumbled into…her statement in the orchard when Gray appeared changed both of their lives.
* Birdie: an opinionated equine nag with a mind of her own
* Sunshine: young, wants respect, follower of Gray, smiling most of the time, has potential and is coming into his own – nice guy.
* The characters met that live in Desperation: The madam, preacher, doctor, Martha and perhaps a few more. There is potential for a series should the author decide to pursue it.
* The banter and dialogue between Gray and Mercy – at first it didn’t grab me but as I settled into the story…I was hooked.
* The softer/other sides of the H/h that came out over the story
* Slowly getting to know the characters as the story progressed
* The relationship that developed between Gray and Mercy – such fun!
* The daisy tie-in and why it was so important
* That the bad guys were thwarted
* Pondering the future of the main and other characters in the book.

What I didn’t like:
*Josiah Banff: entitled, ruthless, evil, aggressive, no good, dirty scoundrel
* I have to admit that at first I wasn’t sure this book was for me…labeled a rom-com it didn’t make me laugh….but further in I began to smile, enjoy, and care about the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing-Amara for the ARC – This is my honest review

4 Stars

Gray Woodsen is the fastest gunslinger around. His reputation follows him wherever he goes. But Gray has grown tired of it an is determined to retire in anonymity. He rides out of one more town where his plan failed. He and his horse make their way. Just outside of another town, they come upon an apple orchard where Gray's tempermental horse insists on stopping for a snack. After a few moments, Gray hears arguing and spies a man arguing with a woman. Turns out that woman, Mercy, is being forced into giving her land to the man and she is having none of it. Spotting Gray, Mercy says that Gray is her fiance to get the man to leave her alone. Gray follows her back to her cabin for a meal and Mercy strikes up a deal with him where Gray will stay in exchange for lodging and meals and Gray's presence will hopefully keep the man away.

The plan doesn't work and the man becomes more and more desperate to get Mercy's land. As the story builds, so do feelings between Mercy and Gray. Until Mercy's life is endangered when the man's hired peoole start coming for Gray. Gray decides to leave town in an attempt to keep Mercy safe.

This is a decent story about a gunslinger who just wants peace and anonymity and the woman who steals his heart. Add in a group of interesting towns people and it makes for a good book.

Hitched to the Gunslinger was a fun read! I haven't read a historical western romance in a while and after picking this one up, I want to read more.

McLean crafted a wonderful story about two strong characters, Gray and Mercy, who enter into a marriage of convenience-type situation. At first glance, they couldn't be more opposite; however as the story goes along, you see how they balance each other out and develop a really genuine relationship.

As someone new to McLean's work, I really enjoyed her writing style. It was easy to read and concise; the story flowed easily and was well-paced. There was never any parts that I felt needed more clarification or felt out of sync. What really gave this story more depth, as well, was the cast of side characters. The humour contained within this book really gave it a rom-com feel and I enjoyed it a lot.

Overall, I would recommend this book to both seasoned historical romance lovers and those wanting to dip their toes into the genre. It was fun, entertaining and promoted a great romance between two head-strong characters.

Hitched to the Gunslinger was an amazing read with wonderful characters. I couldn't put this book down. It was full of wonderful characters, witty banter, romance and laugh out loud moments. I was smiling through most of this entertaining read and thinking about it now makes me smile again. I absolutely loved this hilariously funny read.

I’m seeing a young James Garner in the role of Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson while reading Hitched To The Gunslinger by Michelle McLean. Boy was it great. Sure I just aged myself by saying that but the old westerns were great. Hitched To The Gunslinger is in that same vein which makes for an extremely marvelous read.

The tough, determined female to the tired disillusioned gunslinger make a great contrast and team, believe it or not. Throw in some humor, one strong opinioned horse, intriguing personalities with some attention holding writing you have an unputdownable story. Here’s to the Wild West where a little Mercy is always needed. Loved it!

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Western romances aren't usually my thing but @christiereadsalot gushed about this book so I had to give it a try!
So happy I read this. It was so much fun and really funny. Is the plot wacky? Yup but that totally worked for me since most romcom plot's are.
The heroine, Mercy, was a woman who liked to fight back against the bad guys and that made me like her immediately. Gray is the typical grump with a marshmallow heart.
The writing is fast paced, witty and had me galloping through the pages!
If you enjoy the sunshine/grump, opposites attract, marriage of convenience or romcoms this is the book for you.
Plus it has a gorgeous cover!

This was outstanding! Fun, adventure, romance and danger in the old West. A laugh a minute as Grey aka Quick Shot is in search of retirement as the most deadly gunfighter still alive. And that’s his plan. To stay alive and find a place that doesn’t know who he is. But he’s just too famous. Heading west he finds Desolation and feisty landowner Mercy. She’s a firecracker with a nasty neighbor trying to take her land. Grey comes to her rescue and find himself in a prickly situation when Mercy declares he is her fiancé. She wants his help running off her neighbor and he wants a quite place to nap. That starts a hilarious romp with wonderful characters, the marvelous Mercy and her grumpy gunfighter tenant. All of the characters are fabulous from our couple to the town folks to the nasty villains and the funny barnyard animals. Grey’s horse Birdie is just too funny! I didn’t know if this would be mild on the sexy times and I didn’t care because I was having too much fun with this story. But I was thrilled when our couple was sort of forced into marriage and the wedding night turned into a heart pounding, panty melting, passionate affair with a few laughs to boot. Hot, hot, hot! There were a couple of times the story ventured into hokey antics that threw me out of the rhythm but it quickly got back into fine form and continued on with fast paced action, danger, hilarity and sweet love. A few poignant, emotional moments that are just heart melting! Terrific ending with our couple finding their dreams coming true. I really cannot say enough good things about this story and I will definitely read this author again. Spectacular all the way around. A must read!

This book is so good I had a hard time putting it down. All the characters are adorable and there are many laugh-out-loud moments that will keep you entertained. I especially loved Mercy. She is exactly the heroine I love in a historical setting. Someone who will fight for what’s hers. And will never give up just because she is a woman. The unconventional female characters are the best. Gray is another interesting character. Where ever he goes, people fear him. All he wants is a quiet place to live a peaceful life of retirement. Yet, trouble seems to follow him everywhere he goes. I loved the chemistry between Mercy and Gray. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical romance. It’s a funny, witty, and at times thrilling story.

Holy smoking guns Batman, is this a steamy western! I love historical romance but have never read a western before…this did not disappoint!

Gray, an infamous gunslinger, just wants to retire when stumbles across the town of Desolation. He comes across Mercy being harassed by a local land owner and the sheriff. Gray somehow finds himself not only married to Mercy, but the Sheriff after the previous one fled. What’s a retired gunslinger gotta do to get some rest around this town?

There’s a lot of action-including gun slinging by some fierce ladies of the town-with some delicious scenes thrown in. Gray is the grumpy, heart-of-stone bad guy while Mercy is the sunshine, tough-as-nails opposite. Somehow it works and I just loved them together!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

*an in-depth review will posted on my blog onceuponabookbabe.com the week of release as well as an Instagram post on release day*

3.5 Stars
A true western for us to enjoy. Picture a gunslinger who is tired of the task. He just wants a place to hang his head, fill his stomach, and kickback. He did all he wanted in slinging his guy and just wants to retire and relax.

In the same town, there is a very determined woman who is desperate to hold onto her land, the land her father had before he died. She is being approached and is feeling threatened. When she sees how the townspeople and the men who have been difficult act around this gunslinger, she gets an idea to protect herself. She makes him her pretend fiance.

That should do it.
Well, it does a little more than both of them planed.

Gray was such a grump at the beginning and not interested in helping Mercy or the town, But the town's people slowly charm him into staying and taking the job. And of course, his marriage to Mercy helps him stay too. They were funny and sassy with one another and I really enjoyed it.

Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is ready to retire from the gunslinger life. But everywhere he goes people keep trying to kill him. And he's so tired of it. He's ready to settle someplace where he can just take naps.

When his horse Birdie wanders into an apple orchard, she lands him in the middle of a group of men harassing a woman. While the main bully tries to send him away, Mercy announces that as her fiance he can stay.

He goes along with her statement and later when they head to town, he somehow finds himself being roped into becoming the town sheriff and then Mercy's husband.

There's not much peace and quiet for Gray as men begin attempting to shoot him in order to collect a bounty placed on him.

Thanks so much to Entangled, the author and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

Gray “Quick Shot” Woodson is ready to retire from his life as a notorious gunslinger. When he happens upon the town of Desolation, he thinks he’s found the perfect spot to begin his relaxing retirement. But when he meets Mercy Douglas and agrees to be her fake fiancé, his plans go out the window.

This western romance was such a fun read!! Gray was a grumpy, likable hero that I instantly loved and Mercy was a spunky, independent heroine. Both Gray and Mercy were well-rounded characters and I thoroughly enjoyed reading from both of their perspectives. The side characters were also well-developed and added vibrancy to the story. The plot was well-paced with just the right amount of action. The writing was entertaining—especially the banter. The romance was perfect and my favorite part of the novel. This was a fabulous historical rom-com that I would highly recommend!!

Content Warnings: profanity, steamy scenes, violence, death

(I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Gray Woodson is a super-fast gunslinger who wants to retire to someplace he can nap in the sun. He rides into Desolation, a town in the middle of nowhere.
Mercy lives alone, trying to keep her property from the local grabby nogoodnik, the Western version of the Evil Corporation. When Gray’s ornery horse leads him into the middle of a confrontation between Mercy and the nogoodnik, in desperation Mercy claims that Gray is her fiancé, which means she is not alone.

They find themselves hitched, though he just wants to snooze, and she is a terrible cook. As for Mercy, she just wants her supposed fiancé to take a bath.

I really got a kick out of this Old West romance. It’s got plenty of colorful side characters, funny scenes, and above all banter between the hero and heroine before and after they hit the sheets and discover the fun side of married life. There’s just enough action to keep the pace zipping along, without ever descending into Tombstone blood and guts. The romance is steamy, the exchanges witty, but most of all I really enjoyed watching Gray and Mercy become their best selves. A winner in these anxious times.